DIVE BLOG 

What is AP Automation Software? Accounts payable (AP) automation software is a multifunctional tool that assists businesses in optimizing and automating their accounts payable operations. This can involve activities such as processing invoices, matching purchase orders, and reconciling payments. AP automation software has the potential to reduce risk, increase precision, and save time and money for businesses. AP automation software typically comes equipped with the following functionalities:...

Private equity market analysis is crucial to inform business decisions about essential activities such as marketing strategies and product development. It involves gathering and analyzing data about a specific market, including its size, potential and competition. Before any acquisition, BluWave’s co-head of research and operations, Scott Bellinger, emphasizes the importance of this exercise. “No matter how strong a target company’s product or service is, if the market is shrinking, then it...

What is Sourcing Strategy and Procurement? Strategic sourcing and procurement is a crucial process that aids businesses to balance revenue growth strategies, smart cost containment, sourcing and operations configuration. “When the economy’s going down, people aren’t making as much money as before,” says Scott Bellinger, BluWave’s co-head of research and operations. “Even if they’re maintaining or increasing their sales, the cost is going up. Every dollar you can capture in a downturn is huge...

What is a Tech Stack? A tech stack is a set of software tools and programming languages that serves as the foundation of any technology project, including websites, desktop software and apps. It’s also the backbone of a project and can determine its performance, scalability and maintenance in the long run. Selecting the right one can help developers streamline their work, speed up the development process and provide a better user experience. Tech Stacks of Companies: Examples The LAMP Stack is...

What is ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)? Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software streamlines business processes by coordinating data flow across an organization. It provides a single source of truth and optimizes operations. They are used to manage everyday business activities such as finance functions, compliance, risk management, retail, supply chain and HR. How To Extract Data from ERP Systems Integrate API Endpoints One way to extract data from ERP systems is by connecting your...

How has the current economic situation – i.e. the 2023 bank collapses – affected collaboration between operating partners, portfolio support and deal teams? What are private equity firms’ latest technology best practices around data & analytics, cybersecurity and AI? These were the hot topics in the latest BluWave-hosted PE Operating Partners’ forum March 21. Jeff Steinhorn of Gridiron Capital LLC, Anthony Di Leva of Marlin Equity Partners, and Pejman Pourmousa of Sumeru Equity Partners joined...

What is Centralized Data in Business? Centralized data in business analytics involves consolidating information from across an organization into a single system for easier analysis. “This aspect of business intelligence and analytics is important because it gives companies visibility into KPIs at a high level,” The consolidation usually happens in something called a data warehouse. Read More:What Are the Different Data Warehouse Types? Business intelligence practices like centralization are...

Digital transformation is no longer something only the biggest, wealthiest companies can afford. Not only are these services within reach for businesses of all sizes – from enterprise organizations to lower middle market companies – but they’re also essential. Learn about common improvement areas all businesses can implement to accelerate digital transformation efforts. Business leaders, including operations partners at private equity firms, C-level executives and functional leads are...

How do you identify top C-suite talent? And what’s the best way to improve culture and retention for existing employees? These were among the most popular topics in the latest BluWave-hosted Human Capital forum March 9. Megan Ryan Kanefsky of J.F. Lehman & Company, Kristin Brown Patrick of New State Capital Partners and Abby Wilson of Transom Capital Group joined BluWave as panelists for the virtual event. SIGN UP for the next Human Capital Forum Here are some highlights of what was discussed....

What Do Pricing Consultants Do? Pricing consultants help businesses maximize profits based on researching trends, competitors, customer behavior and more. The goal is to maintain high demand and revenue generation without sacrificing quality, loyalty or perception. Setting the right price for a product or service is a key factor in maximizing profit margin. It can unlock substantial additional revenue when done correctly. In fact, demand for pricing strategy resources continues to increase in...

Companies conduct voice of customer (VoC) studies to better understand how people interact with their product or service. While there are many techniques to gather this information, the objective is largely the same: Ensure the customer is being heard and served as best as possible. Private equity firms, portfolio companies, and private and public companies can all benefit from a strong voice of customer framework. “Voice of the customer is extremely important to businesses because it allows...

Business intelligence continues to be among the most high-demand services in the Business Builders’ Network. One aspect of BI&A that’s popular is automation. The founding partner of one of our BluWave service providers says BI automation is essential to modernizing data analysis. “A lot of times the process involves people pulling data into spreadsheets manually, analyzing, cleaning, doing stuff with the data and then giving it to their bosses or whoever downstream needs them,” says the...